Weighing-machine



(M P.- H. RICHARDS. WEIGHING MACHINE.

Patented Dec. 29, 1896.

gnaw/11111111111111 7 as s UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS H. RICHARDS, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

WEIGHlNG-NIACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 574.170. dated December 29, 1896. Application filed October 19,1896. Serial No. 609.286. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. FRANCIS H. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hart-- ford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Weighing-h/lachines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention in weighing-machines relates more particularly to valve mechanism therefor.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved valve mechanism embodying a main stream-controlling valve and a supplemental or drip valve, the latter of which is carried by the f01IIlG1,WllJll its discharge edge pointing in the same direction, and the adjacent edges of which valves are so constructed and connected that a knife-edge joint is formed between the two valves that can under no circumstances become clogged to obstruct the free movements of the valves.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means in operative relation with the supplemental valve whereby the advancing and retracting movements of said valve will be positively controlled independently of the main valve and whereby said valve will be held during its cutting-off move ment against accidental vibration, and to so construct and organize the parts of the valve mechanism that the same operate with the minimum resistance and at the smallest expense of power and will, so far as the junction of the main and supplemental valves is concerned, be self-cleaning.

To this end my invention resides in a valve mechanism embodying a certain novel combination of elements of improved construction and organization, substantially as hereinai'ter described, and more fully pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan view of the valve mechanism embodying my invention in the preferred form thereof and showing the same in operative relation with a weighing-machine hopper, a portion of the framework of the weighing-machine being represented by full and dotted lines. Fig.2 is an end view, partially in section,of the valve mechanism shown in Fig. 1, said figure showing the main and supplemental valves in their wide-open positions. Fig. 3 is an end view similar to Fig. 2, showing the main and supplemental valves in their drip positions, the main valve being near the end of its closing or cutting-off stroke and the supplemental valve being in the position it occupies at the inauguration of its dripreducing or cuttingoif movement. Fig. at is an end view similar to Figs. 2 and 3, showing the main and supplemental valves at the extreme ends of their cutting-01f strokes and in position for cutting off the main supply and drip from the hopper and main valve, respectively. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a portion of the main and supplemental valves on a relatively large scale and showing the same in the positions thereof shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a front view of the valve mechanism shown in Fig. 2 as seen from the left-hand side in said figure; and Figs. 7, S, and 9 are end views, partially in section, of a slightly-modified form of valve mechanism and show the main and supplemental valves in three successive closing positions thereof, corresponding to the three successive positions of the main and supplemental valves shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, respectively.

Similar characters designate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention (shown most clearly in Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, in the accompanying drawings) the valve mechanism comprises a main supplyvalve su pported to have a reciprocatory movement across the discharge end of the supply chute or hopper, which is located in operative relation therewith; a supplemental or drip valve pivotally carried at the discharge edge of the main valve to have a reciprocatory movement independent of the main valve; means for advancing the main and supplemental valves simultaneously, and a valveactuator located in the path of movement of and effective for imparting both advancing and retracting movements to the supplemental valve independently at predetermined points in the advancing and retracting movements, respectively, of the main valve, and embodying means for positively limiting the advancing or cut-off movement of the supplemental valve and for also positively holding said supplemental valve against accidental vibration during the advancing me\'e ment thereof.

The improved valve mechanism shown in the accompanying drawings is somewhat in the nature of an improvemei'it upon the valve mechanism described in Letters Patent of the l'nited States No. ill-8,850, granted to me October 2f), 1895,10 which reference may be had.

The valve mechanism constituting the subject-matter of my present application may be used in connection with various kinds of weighing mechanism-as, for example, the weighing mechanism described in l'nitcd States Letters Patent No. 548,839, granted to me October 2.), 1e95, to which latter patent reference may be had for a complete description of the construction, organization, and operation of such feat u res of theweighing machine not herein fully described nor .fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings only so much of the weighing-machine is shown as is deemed sufficient to illustrate the application and mode of operation of the improved valve mechanism constituting the snbjectanatter of my present invention. The operative parts of the weighing-machinc are generally carried by some suitable framework.

The framework of the machine with which my improved valve mechanism is employed may, for the purposes of my present invention, be considered of substantially the same general construction as the framework de scribed in Patent No. 5tS,S3J, herein'before referred to, and will generally comprise side frames or uprights, (one only of which is shown in the drawings and which is designated by 2,) a suitable supporting-lmse, (not shown,) and a top plate 5, secured in any suitable manner to the two side frames.

A supply spout or chute (designated in a general way by H) is shown carried by the top plate of the framework.

The main stream-controllingvalve, which is designated by 70, may be of any suitable conformation and is shown somewhat similar in configuration to the valve shown in Patent No. 5-t8,850. This valve is shown pivota-lly supported at 7t) for oscillatory movement between arms 5 and 5, depending from the top plate or beam 5, and is located with its cut-off or stream-intercept-ing plate below the discharge end of the supply hopper or chute ii, and which plate extended sufficiently far beyond the forward edge of the supplyhopper as to support the descending column or stream when the valve is in the closed position shown in 1i; and 9. This valve is preferably balanced so as to have, normally, no tendency to either open or close through gravitation, the balance-weight being shown herein as two laterally-tn'ojecting arms 5), ex tending outward from opposite end walls of said valve at the extreme upper edges of said walls, as will be understood by reference to the various figures of the drawings.

As a means for actuating the valve to close the same I have shown in l. I) of the d rawings a lever 50-ipivoted at 505 to one of the side frames and having at its forward end a friction-roller 5W3, adapted to engage the cam faces 501 and 502 of a can] sun, which is shown in said figure as a depending arm secured to one of the countcrweightcd arms of the valve to move with the valve 70, the lever sot acting against the cam-faces of said cam to oscillate said cam and the valve in connec tion therewith in the manner described in the patents hereinbefore referred. to. The lever 5045 is shown weighted at its forward end, as at 507, the weight being preferably adjustable along the foiwvard arm of the lever.

It will be obvious that by reason of the riding up of the roller 500 on. the cam-facc 501, which constitutes the reducing cam-face, and the cam-face 502, which constitutes the cut-off cam-face of the cam son, a progrtssively-decreasing leverage will be exerted upon the valve for actuating the same during the closing movement thereof; and by reason of the peculiar curvature of the cann faces the force exerted by the. weight 507, arting through the lever 5011', will be transmitted to the valve, it being obvious that the cut-off cam will have a relatively greater efficiency than the reducing cam-face, and therefore the val ve-closing actuator will be effective to close the valve quickly as soon as the 'frici ionroller passes off the cam-face :Jtll of the cam.

For opening the valve any suitable mechanism may be employed as, for example, that shown and described in my Letters Patent No. 5451.,087.

The main valve is provided at the discharge side thereof with a supplemental val re 7), the construction and tn'ganixat ion of which will be hereinafter described in conncctitm with the deseri ition of the peculiar const rucden of that portion of the main valve in juxtaposition to said supplemental valve. The main valve is intended for gradually rt-duc-- ing the volume and cutting off the supplystream until it is reduced to a drip or relatively small stream, and the supplemental valve is intentfled to control the volume and the cutting off of said drip-stream, as fully described in the Patent No. 549 ,5351), hcrcinbefore referred to.

In a weighing-machine mibodying a valve of the type shown and described in Patent No. 5=i-i,087, referred to, when the valve cuts off the supply-stream the sustained mass is supported thereon, usually in the form of an inclined bank, and it will be obvious that on the continued movement of the valve certain small portions of the mass at the forward edge thereof are liable to become dislodged and shaken into the bucket or load-receiver of the machine. Moreover, these particles are frequcntly dislodged by the jar occasioned during the operation of the machine when the load is made up and before the bucket is discharged.

lVith a valve illGCllFlillt-llli sut-h as suown in IIO the accompanying drawings the supplemental valve is actuated on the cutting off of the supply-stream and tends to hold back the loose portion of the drip-stream, so that it would enter the bucket after a complete load has been made up therein; and to insure certainty of operation I preferably make the supplemental valve dished or eoncaved, as shown in Figs. 1 to 6, so that the natural tendency of the particles in the mass to flow off the forward edge of the valve will be obviated.

The main an d supplemental valves together constitute a supply-valve, and the supplemental valve is shown pivotally supported at the discharge edge of the main valve '70. It will also be observed that the discharge edges of the main and supplemental valves are shown facing in the same direction and the supplemental valve is movableindependently of the main valve for reducing and cutting off the drip-stream.

In valve mechanisms of this class as heretofore constructed and organized, and whereby the supplemental valve was pivotally carried bythe main valve, considerable difficulty has been experienced in keeping the joint between the main and supplemental valves clear, so that the same would not become clogged and hamper the movement of the supplemental valve relatively to the main valve; and it is one of the principal objects of this invention to so construct the adjacent edges of the main and supplemental valves and so pivotally connect the main to the supplemental valve that the joint between the two valves will practically be self-cleaning and will facilitate an easy unobstructed movement of said valve. To this end the adjacent edges 71 and 71' of the main and supplemental valves, respectively, are beveled or inclined and are both connected together in such manner that the apexes of the adjacent edges terminate at a common point intersected by the longitudinal axis of the pivotal point of the supplemental valve-that is to say, with the construction of valve mechanism illustrated in Figs. 7, 8, and 9 the two acuteangled edges of the valves are so disposed that when the two valves are in the position shown in Fig. 8 and when the material-supporting face is substantially in a plane with the outer face of the main valve 7 O and the two inclined edges of the two valves are located in a common plane intersecting the plane of the inner and outer faces, respectively, of the main and supplemental valves and at an inclination thereto it will be seen that a knife-edge joint is practically formed between the main and supplemental valves and that the apex of the knife-like edges of the supplemental valve rocks upon a similar edge of the main valve 70.

As a means for pivotally supporting the supplemental valve with relation to the main valve the main valve is shown most clearly in Figs. 1 and 3 furnished at the outer ends thereof with brackets '73 and 73, having journal-bearings formed therein, in which the trunnions 72 and 72", at opposite ends, respectively, of the supplemental valve, are pivotally supported, the axis of said pivotal points being in alinement with the contacting adjacent knife-ed ges of the main and supplemental valves and '7 2, respectively. Thus it will be seen that during the movement of the supplemental valve relatively to the main valve the adjacent edges of the two valves are retained constantly in contact without increasing to any injurious extent frictional resistance during such movement of the supplemental valve.

In Figs. 1 to (J, inclusive, the supplemental valve is shown having a depending concaved material-supporting plate near the middle portion thereof, the curvature of which is concentric to the axis of 1n ovement of said valve, and the main valve 7 0 is furnished at the discharge end thereof with a curved depending plate 20, which overlaps the rearward portion of the curved plate of the supplemental valve and is in a plane concentric to said valve. This plate 20 practically constitutes a rearward extension of the material-supporting portion of the valve 72 (see Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive) when said valve is in its cutting-off position (shown in Fig. 4) and not only prevents the exit of material at the rear end of said valve, but also acts to clean the valve of material when said valve is retracted to the position shown in Figs. 3 and 2.

The outer end of the trunnion 72 is shown furnished with a crank-arm 74, the function of the crank-arm being to receive motion from a suitable actuator for oscillating the supplemental valve 72 to advance and retract the same.

As a means for actuating the supplemental valve 72 and for controlling the opening and closing movements thereof I have provided, in connection with the framework of the machine, a supplemental-valve actuator, which in the preferred form thereof (shown most clearly in Figs. 2 to 4, inclusive) is in the nature of a stationary arm 80, preferably carried by the top plate 5 of the machine and having two cam-faces, (designated by and 80', respectively,) one of which, as 80, is located in position to engage the crank-arm of the supplemental valve and positively control the opening movement of said valve, and the other of which, as 80", is located in position to engage said crank-arm at a predetermined point in the advancing movement of the main valve and effect a closing movement of said supplemental valve.

The terms openingmovement and closing movement, or open anc close, as employed in connection with the description of the supplemental valve are figuratively used as designating the advancing and retraetin g movements of said valve, and it will be understood that where the movement of the valve is described as a closing or ad- IIC vaneing movement it refers to that movement of the valve which ei't'ective for cutting off the drip-stream, and where the move ment of the valve is described as an opening or retracting movement it will be understood that these terms refer to those movements of the valve which are effective for per mitting the outflow of the drip-stream.

The crank-arm on the supplemental valve is shown furnished with a roller for cooperating with the cam't'aces of the actuator 80.

The valve-closing cam-face 80 of the actuator is located in a plane intersecting the normal and effective path of movement of the crank-arm SO, and it will be seen that at a predetermined point in the advancing movement of the main valve the roller on the crank-arm 74: will engage said cam-Face (see Fig. 23) and upon the continued advancing movement of said main valve will ride up along the earn-face from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. -t and effect aclosingmovement of the supplemental valve 72, and the valveopening cam-face S0 of the actuator 80 is located in position to normally engage the roller on the crank-arm 74; and is so disposed that after said crankarm is bythe retractive movcmeutof the main valve 70 thrown out oil:- engagement with the cam-face 80" it will shift the crank-arm downward from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 2 and positively open said valve to its widest extent.

It will be seen that the valve-opening cami'aee 80 extends for a short distance at the upper end thereof in parallelism, or substantially so, with the valve-closing cam-face 80, so that when the roller of the crank-arm T-t is brought into engagement with the cannface t l)" the parallel portion of the opposite camt'ace 80 will restrict or limit the closing movement of the valve and will during the continued closingmovementof said valve positively hold the same against vibration.

From the foregoing it will be seen that means are provided in connection with the actuator 80 for positively controlling both the closing and opening movements of the supplemental valve and for also hold ing the same against vibration during the closing movement thereof, which is of material advantage in valve mechanisms of the class specified.

liaving described my invention, 1 claim- 1. In a weighing-machine the combination with supply-spout; of a main and a supplemental valve pivotally connected together; means for advancing said valves simultaneously; a crank-arm located on the supplemental valve; and an actuator for said supplemental valve comprising a stationary arm having a valve-opening and a valve-closing cam-face located in operative relation with the crank-arm and between which it is received and eltective for controlling the opening and closing movements of the valve and for positively holding said valve against vi hratory movement during the closing move ment thereof.

2. The combination with a supply lnm aer, ot' a main and su 'iplemental alve pivolally connected with their discharge edges l'zu-ing in the same direction and having their adjacent connected edges beveled to form a knife edge joint, the point of one edge being in con tact with the point of the other edge and in alinement with the axis of movement of lhe supplemental valve; and imlepeinlent means for actuating the supplemei'llal valve during the movement oi the mainv valve.

The combination with a supply-'hormm: of a main valve pivotally supprn'tcd for oscih latory movement across the discharge end of said hopper and having a grooved guari'lplate ('lepending from the lower side oi the discharge end thereof; a simpltnnontal valve pivotally supported on the discharge edge ot' said main valve, concentric to the curved guard-plate, and having a concave materialsupporting plate located in a plane parallel to and below the curved guardplate and having its discharge end in advance oi the dis charge end of the main valve; a l-znii'e-cdge joint between. the main and su )pltmient.-il valves located in alinement with the axis olf movement of the supplemental valve; means for advancing the main and supplemental valves in unison; and means for ei'lfecl ing a closing and opening movement, altcrnalel v, of the supplemental valve at predetermined points in the advancing and rel raeting movements of the main valve.

i. The combiinttion with a s11 ply-hopper, ot' a main valve pivotally supported l'or osr'lllatory movement across the discharge end of said hopper and having a curved guard-plate depending from thelowm'sidcol' the discharge end thereof; a supplemental valve pivolally supported on the discharge edge of said main 'alve concentric to the curved gnardplale and having a concave ma lerial-snpporting plate located in a plane parallel to and below the curved gua'riil-plate and having its discharge end in advance of the discharge end of the main valve; a knife-edge joint hi:- tween the main and supplemental valves, located in alinement with the axis of movement of the supplemental valve; and a supplemental-valve actuator embodying two opposing cams, one of which is ellective on the advancing movement of the main valve to! in'iparting a closing movement to the supplemental valve, and the other of which is ei'-- fective on the retracting movement oi the main valve for imparting an opening niovement to the supplemental valve, for holding said supplemental valve against a( :eidental vibratory movement.

FRANCIS ll. ltlUllnllUH,

lVitn esses:

FRED. J'. DOLE, i'lnivn'v BIssELL. 

